


Earthened Bounds

by Agurint



Category: League of Legends RPF
Genre: Bending (Avatar), Fantasy AU, M/M, Slow Burn, avatar AU, no beta we die like rogue to g2, other characters to be added etc etc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26328205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agurint/pseuds/Agurint
Summary: Life as the Avatar isn't easy as it is; between learning the element and trying to connect to his spiritual self, Dan also needs to figure out feelings and all that stuff. It's a thousand times harder, when a new threat is looming over the world.
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi i finally... wrote the avatar au i've been craving nishsddskvvdsj
> 
> all people that will join team avatar are people dan has previously played with (or is currently playing with!)
> 
> comments make my day, and otherwise enjoy!

The air in Ba-sing-se is pleasantly buzzing with crickets and the sound of the streets. Even this late at night, there are still people out and about, travelling or walking home; voices mingle with laughter and the sounds of carts being pushed around. Somewhere, a baby cries and a woman laughs, a deeper voice answering her directly in front of the window as a car drives by and illuminates the candle-lit room.  
Somewhere, in the distance, there is a party going on, bits of a tune flying into the room every now and then with the wind. It’s not untypical for summer nights to be filled with festivities like the one in the distance. Distinctly, he wonders if he would be attending such a party right now if things turned out differently.

Dan has half the mind to close the window before annoying insects fly in. He doesn’t want to spend the entire day tomorrow with scratching mosquito bites.  
Granted, mosquitoes are kind of rare in Ba-sing-se, but one can never be careful enough. The air knocks against the window now, and while the party music has been replaced, he now can hear singing from outside the window; it’s a tune he recognizes, so he softly hums along as he folds another green shirt and puts it neatly into his little backpack.

He won’t take much with him, just enough. Enough so Seju, his eelhound, will still be able to carry him and his best friend when they embark on their adventure tomorrow.

Seju is already asleep, soundly snoring in her nest at the back end of Dan’s room. The water she sleeps in has been modified by a waterbender so it flows directly from the earth, making it possible for Seju to sleep by his side at all times. The waterbender, a stern man named Shen from the Council of the White Lotus had helped him set it up after- after everything.   
Seju turns a bit in her sleep, feet moving as if she’s running in her dream; Dan can’t help but walk over and pet her softly, which she answers with more snores and a half-opened eye glancing into his direction.

He has to laugh a bit at that, carefully stepping over her to get the last of his belongings that he wants to pack; a few rolls of pergament, ink and a feather for letters. And his most prized possession, of course.  
There it is, a perfect round orb of metal, polished and the trinket on a leather necklace, given to him by his best friend on his 18th birthday; made by his best friend, too.  
Just touching the necklace makes him a bit calmer, making him feel like he is back in a garden, nothing mattering at that moment except him and his friend, and their deep connection with each other.  
Two friends on a perfect day - until everything had happened, of course.

A knock on the door brings him in again from his thoughts. This late at night? He’s already said his goodbyes to his parents, too.  
His mother had cried, but his father had looked on proud of his son; Dan just so worries he can make his family truly proud.  
He swings his hands and the door opens with a soft motion, and when he looks up-

Felix is smiling softly at him, dark brown hair falling into his eyes messily. He looks like he ran here, if the stains on his shirt are anything to go by.   
Dan smiles a bit, too.

“What are you doing here? It’s late” He says, and Felix grins a lopsided smile. Dan loves that smile, since he is the only one that Felix smiles around like that.

“Just wanted to make sure you weren’t leaving without me one last time” Felix says, and Dan has to stifle a laugh at that. Leave it to Felix to always overthink and worry so much.

“You know i won’t go anywhere without you. You’re the only one i would go on a trip to the north pole with” He says, and Felix smiles for a second, so bright, before rolling his eyes.

“Just making sure you’re not doing anything irresponsible on your first official day as Avatar.”, Felix says, and, ah. There it is.

“I try to not think about that too much. Or else i’ll go crazy” Dan says, and Felix leans forward to rub his arms, “Ah, but- we’ll go early in the morning, so we should probably sleep soon.”, he adds, and Felix smiles a bit again.

There is a rumble, and Felix's bag is next to him, and Dan can’t fight a smile.

“Come here, you idiot” He says; they’ve figured out the perfect way of sleeping in the same bed ever since they were little children. They sleep like this: Felix sleeps curled up, and Dan sleeps spread out, and the space between his arm and leg is the perfect size for Felix to curl up in.  
It’s foolproof, at least for them.  
As they lay in bed, however, for the first time Dan has troubles falling asleep.  
“Stop moving so much”, says Felix.

“I can’t” Dan mutters, “I think I’m a bit too excited. Like my mind is just… running wild” He mumbles, “Just, can you imagine where we’ll go? To the firenation! And to the air temples, Janna from the council has told me much about them.”  
“So you want to go there, first?” Felix asks him, voice already tired.

Dan thinks about it for a second, before softly shaking his head.  
“Mh, don’t think so. I’d actually like to go to the northern watertribe, first. See if we find a teacher there, and i’m excited to meet the people.”

“We’ll stay there, right?”asks Felix, then; his curly locks hanging into his eyes as he curls up under the blanket, eyes already drifting close. Dan doesn’t think, doesn’t expect Felix to sit up straight as a rod with the next words he says.

“Well, yeah, but i also thought that maybe someone could join us, then? If we found someone our age to teach me waterbending.”

“Join us? Like, travel around with us?” Felix says, eyes wide and open; he’s a bit defensive, Dan can feel it in the way the wall behind him tightens, in the way his metal bedpost all of sudden look a bit more sharp, a bit more dangerous.

“Yeah” Dan says, carefully, “I thought that would be nice. To make new friends that could travel with us.”, he keeps on going, slowly shifting on the bed to be a bit more defensive, as well. He’s not sure what has caused Felix to be like this, now, but he can only try to calm his friend down, “But only if we find someone we both like, of course. This isn’t only my decision to make.” He says, and then clears his throat.

And, just to make sure Felix isn’t jealous, he adds: “And you’ll obviously still be my best friend, Flix”

He doesn’t get an answer, but the Bedpost looks normal again, and Felix lays back down, so maybe Dan can consider this a success. Maybe, he thinks as he lays down, too, spread out like always. 

“Even if we meet someone, you’ll be my best friend”, He repeats softly, and he can’t help but smile a little bit as Felix grumbles.

“Just shut up and go to sleep”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are criminals in the forest.

Seju is awake with the rise of the sun, as she is on most days; good for Dan. He never bothered much with an alarm clock, save for family holidays in Republic City, where Seju couldn’t come alone. Throughout all other times, she’s been his alarm clock instead, perfectly on time in every situation of his life, and today is no different.  
She’s up, licking over his face and he groans, rubbing the saliva into his pillow before twisting so she’s no longer slobbering all over him. He stretches a bit, and his motions wake up Felix next to him, as well.  
His hair is all mussled, sticking up behind his ear. Dan watches as he goes through the stages of waking up, reaching over to put his glasses on his face, blinking sleepily at Dan, and then falling back into the sheets as Seju wakes him up with a slobbering kiss, too. Really, Dan can’t help but laugh at how funny Felix looks as the realization strikes him that he will have to completely clean his glasses, too.

They get ready in silence, dressed in dark greens; they’ll be travelling through a lot of woodland, and it’s probably best to not arouse too much suspicion. The times are peaceful now, but the woods are home to a bunch of criminal gangs, and Dan knows people would pay a good sum for his head. He’s not sure what they would do with Felix. Somehow that thought makes him a lot more afraid than being sold to someone, or something like that.  
So, dark green it is; a few more clothes find their way into Dans backpack, a map is opened and then they are on their way before the first shops open their doors in Ba-Sing-Se.  
The air is still cold, and the roads are mostly empty, safe for a few early cars and merchants; in only one hour, the streets will be buzzing with life - their plan is to be out of the city by then, and enter the woodland around then, too.

Dan knows, their time is technically unlimited. After all, there is no current threat in the world. There is peace between people and folks, peace and serenity.  
Still, he is the avatar. The sooner he learns everything, the sooner he masters all the four elements, the better.  
Also, there is another reason he wants to be in the woodland before too long- he really does not want to end up with a sunburn on their first day of travelling.

He shrieks a bit as he feels a slump against his back, and then he can’t stop a tiny chuckle as he hears Felix softly snoring against his back, arms wrapped around his torso. Dan tells Seju to lower her pace a bit, to go gentle - he doesn’t want to wake Felix up. His best friend sleeps little enough as it stands, so Dan is happy that he seems to fall asleep so easily now on Seju.

They pass through Ba-sing-se easily enough, and Dan feels Felix rustling against him just as they enter the forests leading to the sea. They won’t need to take a ship due to Seju being an eelhound, but they need to stop to buy rations before they embark on their journey across the ocean.

“How long did I sleep?” Felix asks eventually as Seju walks them through the woods; their first break is coming up soon.  
“About one hour, i’d say.” Dan responds, “Didn’t you sleep last night?”  
“I did!”, Felix protests, “Just, ah. I kept thinking about what you said, about travelling with more people.”  
“It will be fine”, Dan reassures him; really, shouldn’t Felix be more happy? They’ve always had each other, him and Felix. And isn’t Dan in the right to add more people? He needs to master all the elements, after all.  
Felix says nothing more to that topic, not even as they climb off of Seju eventually to give her some time to rest and hunt for a few wild animals if she so wants.

“Hey, Dan” Felix says, and Dan turns around to see his best friend smiling brightly at him; he has half the mind to raise his hands and react then, when a volleyball-sized rock stops just mere centimeters from his face.  
“Flix!” He complains, laughing a bit as he sees Felix stand up.  
“Come on, we won’t be able to do that at the northpole! Or on the sea!” Felix says, and his melancholia from yesterday and earlier seems to be forgotten, as more balls form next to him.  
Dan thinks, that is the reason he and Felix are best friends, have always been best friends. No one else can make him laugh like this, he thinks, and then he stands up, too, so he can shoot the rocks back to Felix.

They’re so focused on each other that they only notice the shadows looming around them when it is already too late.   
Still, Dan sees them first, a metal wire shooting out of one of the bushes, wrapping itself neatly around Felix arm- or so it would have happened, if Felix weren’t the best metal bender of their generation. Instead of holding Felix captive, as the wire was supposed to be, it bends itself into a knot.

Behind him, Dan can feel people coming up, and he’s lucky for his seismic sense, because a quick turn around, and the man who is at least double his mass flies through the air, pushed up by a rock.  
“Criminals” Felix shouts at him, and Dan nods; not very smart criminals, as it seems, though. They’re lucky, Dan thinks, but also not. 

“Seju!” He calls out, moving quickly.

He’s often been told that he is a more traditional earthbender as opposed to the faster, more aggressive style they teach in Republic City; not that he minds. He enjoys his style of earthbending, but now he moves fast like he learned in arenas around the capital of the world, quickly throwing out disks of earth, sharp likes blades that pin the criminals to tree barks.  
He moves like a dance, and when he throws a glance to the side, he sees Felix doing the exact same. He’s made the wire his own, and it moves and coils around the criminals like a snake, knocking them out like a viper.

“Seju!”, Dan shouts again, because the criminals just keep pouring, a big group coming closer, and Dan already feels himself moving closer to Felix with every step. Not much longer and they won’t be able to fight properly without running into the danger of hurting each other with stones or metal.

Rescue comes in the form of a giant eelhound.  
Seju is fast, and Dan is on her back in no time, dodging the attacks of the criminals while shielding himself and Seju; the sweep Felix up.  
“Ready to get out of here?” He asks, a bit out of breath, and Felix nods.

They’re faster than the criminals, in the end, and once they’re sure they are safe, Dan slows Seju down considerably.  
“Criminals”, He says, and Felix nods again, “We were probably too loud.”  
“It’s all my fault” Felix says, and Dan shakes his head. That’s stupid.  
“Of course not!”  
“It is! I started the stupid game, because I wanted to see you smile and have a bit of fun, and-”  
“I was just as loud as you! If they wanted to attack us, they’d attack us anyways.”  
“Still, i-”  
“No. It wasn’t anyone’s fault”  
Felix quietens as they keep going through the woods; Dan really, really can’t stand seeing him beat himself up.  
“Hey, the thing with the metal snake. A new trick?”  
Felix looks at him, for a second, and then for another second, and then the slightest smile spreads across his face, and Dan breathes a mental sigh of relief.  
“Did you like it?”  
“It was super cool! Where did you learn it?”  
“I’ve read about it! Hadn’t actually tried it out yet, but it worked out pretty well, didn’t it?”

_____________

They take three days to reach the outskirts of the forest, but when they do, the view is wonderful. Dan isn’t sure when the last time was that he saw the sea, but he won’t complain. Especially not with the gentle breeze brushing through his hair and clothes, making him feel at ease.  
The sun is setting over the sea, and at the coast he can see a little village.

They rent one room, curling up in the sheets like they usually do; Dan spreads out, Felix curls neatly next to him, and they talk about the next day. They’ll buy rations first things in the morning, and then go on their way to the north pole over the ocean.

When they wake up, Felix is snuggled against his side, and Dan teases him for already being cold; maybe they should buy an extra coat for Felix, as well, during their shopping spree for rations.  
Felix just rolls his eyes and shoves him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonding!. Also, a snowstorm.

Dan stretches as his eyes droop; they’ve been on the sea for a while now, but they should definitely try and reach the next sound before nightfall. There is no way in hell that they’ll spend the night out on the sea. Well, maybe, but only if everything goes extremely bad. If everything goes bad, goes wrong, Dan can try and raise some land from the bottom of the ocean, but he would very much prefer to sleep in a sound and not out in the open sea. It’s just- too dangerous, and raising land is really difficult and exhausting.   
The next sound can’t be too far away, even if he can’t see it right now, he’ll surely see some sort of land soon, some mountains or a few trees on the horizon.

Behind him, Felix is quiet, playing with the bits and pieces of the metal wire he took from the bandits in the forest. As Dan turns his head a bit, he sees Felix make pretty flowers and cute animals. An eelhound, like Seju is one, and Dan smiles a bit as it shifts into a lionturtle, a mystic animal that previous Avatars like him were told to be around. He’s never seen one, but then again his spiritual side is… not the best.  
He’s, he is working on it, at least.

He watches as the lionturtle shifts into a smaller object, something he can’t quite make out. It looks nice, at least, and Felix turns his hand so Dan can see what he’s making.   
It’s the avatar symbol, and then the symbols of the unique elements. Dan watches as it shifts into the water symbol, fluid and full of calming energy, looking just right as the wire reflects the light of the sun, down to the ocean; it shifts into the sign for air, spirituality. If he was better, if he was born an airbender, Dan is pretty sure he would be a much better avatar, so heavily connected to the spirits in the world.  
The wire shifts again, into the sign of the earth, and a warm feeling floods Dan. This is what he is familiar with, earth and the ground, keeping him grounded in this reality, so far away from the airy spirits in another world.  
He was born of earth, and so the pure sign makes him feel at ease, at home, even though they are currently out on the wild, wild sea. 

The last sign Felix shows him, made out of wire as the previous ones, is the one of the fire nation; Dan has always liked the fire nation, a kingdom like his own home. He’s seen the current Queen of Ba-sing-se only once, a steady woman named Taliyah- to Dan, she is everything a great earthbender should be. Down to earth, smart.  
He’s not above admitting that he had a crush on the Earth Kingdom’s princess for a while, even though she could probably take him out in an instance. Samira is pretty, and he’s always had an interest in metal benders.  
That’s probably why Felix is his best friend; he’s always been interested in metalbending, after all.

He’s never met the Firelord, but from what he hears, he is a smart man with an open mind, strong and cunning. He’s seen him on the televised premiers they show in Ba-sing-se every year on the Avatar Day; Firelord Yasuo always gives a speech from his palace, talking about peace and kindness and the elements.  
Faintly, Dan wonders if he’ll stand next to Yasuo on Avatar Day and talk to him. It’s a shame the council only told him on his birthday, after the Avatar Day had already passed; he’s only supposed to stand there once he has mastered all four elements, the Council told him.

Felix’ voice drags him out of his thoughts, and only now does Dan realize that the sun is about to set on the horizon. They’re lucky, though, because to their left, Dan can see a little sound, perfect to spend the night there.   
The trees at the little entrance to the sound are covered in snow, and Seju gives a displeased noise off. Why is there snow, she probably asks, Dan imagines.  
“We’re getting closer to the Northern Water tribe”, He says, and Felix grins at him as he jumps off of Seju’s back, stretching. His shirt rides up a bit, and Dan thinks that they’ll need to wear jackets from now on, if they don’t want to freeze to death.  
“You think so?”, Felix asks, pushing his glasses up on his nose a bit, looking around, “We should probably make a fire…”, He adds, “Why aren’t you a firebender yet?”  
“I can try!”, Dan says, and Felix laughs again.

They sit together in peace and silence, putting their sleeping bags close together for additional warmth as the night falls deep onto them, and the fire flickers a few times; Dan watches it flicker out as Felix snores softly next to him, head tucked under Dan’s arm.  
He’s glad he has Felix with him, he wouldn’t be able to do this trip without him.  
Felix is his best friend, after all.

It’s only natural for Dan to fall asleep like this, holding Felix close and warm, and safe.

Their rest isn’t for long, though,  
Dan feels like he has barely slept an hour when Felix wakes him up, panicked.

“Dan, Dan- god-damn-it, Daniel, wake up!”, Felix says, shaking him, “You Idiot, wake up! It’s snowing!”

Dan is awake in an instant, sitting up bolt-right in his bag. Felix is right, of course. It is snowing, and while, normally, he would like that- well, the fire is out, it is freezing and they have no place to hide.  
“Stand up.”, he simply says, waking up Seju, “We need to find cover, fast.”, He adds, elevating himself from the ground to look up; he screams down to Felix, who is hastily packing their things together.  
“Up the hill!”, he screams down, “A cave!”

A few minutes later, they’re cuddled together in front of a fire as Felix mutters, stupid weather and stupid snow and, “Danny, I wish you were a fire-bender. Do you think you can try?”, he adds, and yesterday, Dan was laughing.  
Now it feels a bit mean, but he knows, Felix is just as cold as he is, and earth-bending won’t do a lot for them right now. Sadly, this is the only thing he can do.

Still, he raises his hand, and concentrates all his energy into the fire before them; it feels pleasantly warm around his fingertips, and he closes his eyes, trying to feel the flow of fire around him, to feel how to bend it to his will. Almost, Almost- 

“Dan, be careful!”, Felix tells him, and his concentration breaks. That might be god, actually; he doesn’t remember getting up, but now he notices that he’s freezing. He quickly huddles back, cuddling into the blanket next to Felix, who wiggles around a bit and then wraps an arm around Dan, “I didn’t mean it literally, you stupid Avatar”, He adds.

“I could feel it”, Dan says, “The fire!”

“Well, yeah.”, Felix tells him, “You nearly stepped into it.”  
Dan rolls his eyes.  
“You know what I meant! Flix, I could feel the fire. Just a bit more, and i’m sure i could have bent it. Maybe.”, He adds.

“Yeah, or you would have burned your feet.”


End file.
